THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DOMINIONS 403

Dominions to the League Assembly1 are accredited by Chapter
the Governor-General in Council, and they are under _ '
Dominion control absolutely, and the position of the
delegate of the Irish Free State to the Council is the
same.

Conventions signed under League auspices were for
a time considered as proper for ratification by the
Dominion Governments, but the resolution of the

"urged that as a rule

treaties of this sort should be made in the form of
conventions between heads of States, and this form
exacts the formality of full powers issued by the King
and ratifications signed by the "King, as in the case of
treaties negotiated apart from the procedure of the
League. But this rule does not apply to conventions
arrived at under the procedure of the Labour Or gamga-
tion of the League provided for by the treaties of peace.
Draft Conventions there accepted by any Dominion
must be submitted to the authority competent to
approve. This means, of course, the obligation to ask
Parliament to consent to ratification, but in the case of
the federations it is clear that the duty is fulfilled if the
matter is brought before the provincial legislatures or
the State Parliaments if the matter falls within their
legislative sphere. Nor in any case is there any binding
obligation to press for approval. The Government does
not bind itself to make the matter one of party loyalty,
and an indifferent Government may rest assured that
no pressure will be put upon it by its Parliament. In
the Union it has been observed by supporters of the
Labour Organisation that the ratifications effected by
1 Canada lias stationed an advisory officer at Geneva, and similar
action has been taken by the Irish Free State and the Union.